Returning OFW dies on bus before reaching home

By Glazyl M. Jopson

A homecoming turned tragic for a 41-year-old overseas Filipino worker from Manjuyod, Negros Oriental, who died on a bus just moments before reaching her hometown on August 4.

The incident has gone viral, prompting an outpouring of sympathy from netizens touched by her dedication and the hardships she endured while working abroad.

Authorities have not confirmed where she had been working or how long she had been overseas, though social media posts claim she came from Kuwait.

Police Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson for the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, said the woman had traveled from Japan to Manila.

From Manila, she continued to Cebu and boarded a bus at the Cebu South Bus Terminal to catch a roll-on, roll-off ferry bound for Negros Oriental.

Feeling unwell at the terminal, she asked the conductor to buy her ticket, choosing to remain on the bus rather than get off.

When the bus arrived at the San Jose port in Negros Oriental around 9:30 a.m., a fellow passenger noticed she was unresponsive.

Bus staff immediately contacted police, and help was requested from the local Rural Health Unit.

Initial medical findings revealed she died of an acute ischemic attack, Polinar said, adding that the woman had been taking medication for hypertension.

Her identity has not been disclosed out of respect for her family’s request for privacy.

Following the incident, the remaining passengers were transferred to another bus to continue their journey.